Starting the first LOTR movie. After seeing all three, I read the books, and other tales by tolkien, such as The Children of Hurin, The Book of Lost tales, The Sillmarion(spelling?). I think the movies captured the books excellently.

Favorite Tolkien character:

Sam. He is the most loyal friend anyone could ask for.
Turin. He demonstrates the faults common to all humans, and how he gets through them.
All Elves. They are wise and fair. Something that humans should strive to be as well. They are also awesome fighters, and their style of weaponry is enchanting!